Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Heat Pumps: Environment Protection

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) environmental and (b) biodiversity impact assessment she has made of the production of ground source heat pump technology.

Rebecca Pow: Where the Environment Agency has a regulatory role, particularly open-source heat pumps, they have commenced research to better understand the environmental and biodiversity impacts. This is being done to ensure regulatory duties are being conducted in a way that encourages the installation of low carbon technology, whilst ensuring the wider environment is protected. An assessment of demand for refrigerant gas in the future rollout of heat pumps will be included in the consultation on proposals to amend the Regulation on fluorinated greenhouse gases (the F-gas Regulation).

Woodlands

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with the Forestry Commission on promoting woodland creation.

Rebecca Pow: Woodland creation is regularly discussed between the Forestry Commission and the Forestry Minister on behalf of the Secretary of State. The Forestry Commission continues to keep Defra ministers up to date on the progress of woodland creation. Defra and Forestry Commission officials meet regularly to coordinate efforts to promote the creation of woodlands, supporting schemes such as the Forestry Commission’s flagship England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO). EWCO and Woodland Creation Planning Grant will transition to become part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme – one of the new environmental land management schemes. The future Countryside Stewardship woodland creation offer will largely mirror the EWCO offer.

Sustainable Farming Incentive: South Holland and the Deepings

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 have been (a) made and (b) approved in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Mark Spencer: The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 15 December the RPA had received 6 applications of which 4 agreements have been offered and 3 accepted for the South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Pigs: Animal Welfare

Anna Firth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of removing the exemption in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 that allows for the use of pig farrowing crates, in the context of the development of alternative systems.

Mark Spencer: Legislation sets minimum legal requirements and already allows for development and use of alternative farrowing systems. The UK has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement. Defra’s 2018 statutory welfare code of practice for pigs confirms that ‘the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow, as well as her piglets’. Over the years the Government has funded research into farrowing systems which led to the website Freefarrowing.org. This site provides a variety of information and resources for pig farmers on the different farrowing options available and includes the latest research conducted on them. We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our new domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.

Department for Business and Trade

Food: Prices

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps she plans to take to respond to the findings of the Competition and Markets Authority that manufacturers of branded food products have been increasing prices above inflation.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Government notes the CMA's findings and supports its continued work on groceries pricing. Tackling the cost of living is a priority issue for this Government and the cost of grocery products is a key component of household expenditure. Through regular engagement, the Government will continue to work with food retailers and producers to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food.

Small Businesses: Exports

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2023 to Question 4799 on Small Businesses: Exports, how the £200 million of funding to support small and medium-sized enterprises (a) has been spent in each of the last three years and (b) will be spent on (i) the UK Export Academy, (ii) International Trade Advisors, (iii) Help to Grow, (iv) the Export Support Service and (v) the Business Support Helpline.

Greg Hands: Between 2022-2025, DBT currently plan to spend, including expenditure incurred, a maximum of £86.1 million on the Help to Grow: Management scheme and Business Support Helpline, £19.4 million on the Export Support Service Digital enquiry service and International Markets service, and Export Support delivered by DBT teams in the English Regions (which includes International Trade Advisers in England and the UK wide Export Academy) expect to spend £84.2 million

Companies: Registration

Rebecca Long Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what checks Companies House carry out to ensure that businesses are not being registered fraudulently under incorrect addresses.

Kevin Hollinrake: The Registrar carries out checks to ensure filings are complete, but at present, she has limited powers to verify or validate the information which is delivered to her. Provided a document appears to be properly delivered, the Registrar must register it.The Registrar will be given broader powers under the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act so that she can become a more active gatekeeper over company registrations. This will include powers to check, challenge and refuse to register any information which is inaccurate or false whilst also ensuring any fraudulent addresses can be removed more easily.

Arms Trade: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish the details of any licences for export of military goods to Israel (a) that have been issued since 7 October 2023 and (b) which remained extant after 7 October 2023.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether any licences for export of military goods to Israel have been (a) wholly and (b) partially revoked since 7 October 2023.

Greg Hands: HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.The most recent publication was on 30th August 2023, and covered the period 1st January – 31st March 2023. Information covering 1st April – 30th June 2023 will be published on 16th January 2024.Information regarding export licences granted between 7 October and end of December 2023 will be published after April 2024.Licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, as circumstances require.In the event such decisions were taken, for any licences, we would issue a Notice to Exporters, which would be published on gov.uk.

Arms Trade: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has conducted a recent review of his Department's guidance entitled Open general export license: exports in support of joint strike fighter (F-35 Lightening II) with respect to the inclusion of Israel on the list of approved recipients (a) directly and (b) indirectly via other partner nations.

Greg Hands: The government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences as circumstances require.In the event such decisions were taken, for any licences, we would issue a ‘Notice to Exporters’.

Arms Trade: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether any licences are in place that allow UK manufactured (a) military equipment and (b) components for military equipment to be sent to Israel.

Greg Hands: HM Government publishes data on export licensing decisions on a quarterly basis in the Official Statistics on GOV.UK, including data on outcome, end user destination, overall value, type (e.g. Military, Other) and a summary of the items covered by these licences. This data is available at: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/strategic-export-controls-licensing-data.The most recent publication was on 30th August 2023, and covered the period 1st January – 31st March 2023. Information regarding export licensing decisions made after 31st March 2023 cannot be released at this stage as that information has not yet been published as official statistics.The government does not publish statistics on extant licences.

F-35 Aircraft: Export Controls

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether her Department has had recent discussions with (a) L3Harris on and (b) other UK-based companies using the open general export license for exports for the Joint Strike Fighter F-35 Lightning II in the period since 7 October 2023.

Greg Hands: Since the events of 7 October 2023, the Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.The Department has not engaged with users of Open General Licences since 7 October 2023 in relation to the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.All licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences as circumstances require. In the event such decisions were taken for any licences, we would inform exporters via a ‘Notice to Exporters’.

Arms Trade: Israel

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has carried out a review of the licences for components for military equipment provided to Israel.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has carried out a review of the licences for military technology provided to Israel.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue an export licence for any material to any destination where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria.Licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, as circumstances require.

L3Harris: Export Controls

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2023 to Question 5417 on Israel: Military Aid, whether she has carried out a review of L3Harris’s licence to produce release systems for the F-35 combat aircraft.

Greg Hands: The Government continues to monitor closely the situation in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Strategic Export Licensing Criteria. We will not issue an export licence for any material to any destination where to do so would be inconsistent with the Criteria.Licences are kept under careful and continual review as standard and we are able to amend, suspend or revoke extant licences, or refuse new licence applications, as circumstances require.

Ministry of Defence

Army: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5784 on Army: Procurement, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the report by the NAO entitled The Equipment Plan 2022 to 2032, HC 907, published 29 November 2023, on the 20-year comprehensive investment plan.

James Cartlidge: Whilst it is correct that there is planning provision within the Army’s Capability Investment Plan (CIP) that considers the next 20 years, this is not a formally endorsed plan nor is there any intent to publish externally. Moreover, the Secretary of State was clear in his recent Parliamentary Statement on GCAP that - whilst we acknowledge the impact of inflation on the Equipment Plan and take note of the NAO’s report - this represented a ‘snap-shot ‘in time from April, and one which predated the Defence Command Plan Refresh.

Armed Forces: Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many referrals for post-traumatic stress disorder for (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel were made in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The table below presents the number of UK Armed Forces personnel with an initial assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder at a MOD Department for Community Mental Health (DCMH) between 1 April 2019 and 31 March 2023, broken down by service and financial year. Service2019-202020-212021-222022-23UK Armed Forces336173229277Royal Navy71373467Army222107175179Royal Air Force43292031The Royal Navy includes both Rotal Navy and Royal Marines DCMH staff record the initial mental health assessment during a patient’s first appointment, based on presenting complaints. A patient’s final diagnosis may differ as some patients do not present the full range of symptoms, signs, or clinical history during their first appointment when the initial assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder is made.

Army: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 5784 on Army: Procurement, what mechanisms his Department has for (a) continuous reassessment and (b) updating of the 20-year comprehensive investment plan.

James Cartlidge: The Army’s Capability Investment Plan is managed on an ongoing basis throughout the year and informed annually by the Capability Audit and the Balance of Investment process.

Air Force: Military Aircraft

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the average length of time an RAF aircraft was unable to fly due to it needing to be repaired was in each year since 2019.

James Cartlidge: The average length of time that an RAF aircraft is unable to fly due to needing maintenance is not a metric which is recorded. The time required for repairs of individual airframes can range from hours to months. Types of repairs include:1) short-term unserviceable aircraft which undergo minor works, unforeseen rectification or technical inspection that can arise on a day-to-day basis and can often be rectified between planned flights;2) repairs which are deferred to be undertaken during periods of planned maintenance inspections or periods of upgrade;3) complex repairs which require specialist long-term rectification or detailed technical advice from the manufacturer, which can take many months.

Air Force: Military Aircraft

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF aircraft were unable to fly in each month since January 2023; and for what reasons.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many RAF aircraft were operational in each month since January 2023.

James Cartlidge: It will take time to collate the requested information. I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of the letter in the Library of the House.

Ministry of Defence: Technology

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 21 November 2023 to Question 1450 on Ministry of Defence: Technology, when he plans to write to the Rt hon. Member for Garston and Halewood.

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 20 November 2023 to Question 2085 on Ministry of Defence: Technology, when he plans to send the letter to the Rt hon. Member for Garston and Halewood.

James Cartlidge: I am now in a position to answer the right hon. Member's Questions 1450 and 2085. The Department initially believed it could provide some costs in scope of these requests; however, upon further analysis, I must advise that these aspects are not considered under a single or dedicated programme and are generally considered as components or elements of much larger programmes across Defence and in multiple domains. This information is not held centrally, and I therefore confirm that the requested information could be provided only at disproportionate cost and would in any event be unlikely to be an accurate reflection of all spend incurred.

Shipping: Innovation

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 12 December 2023 to Question 4936 on Shipbuilding: Innovation, when he plans to publish the comprehensive study by Maritime Research and Innovation UK of the UK’s academic capability and capacity for shipbuilding.

James Cartlidge: The report into the UK's Academic Capability and Capacity for Shipbuilding was published by Maritime Research and Innovation UK on Wednesday 13 December 2023. It can be found here: The UK's Academic Capacity & Capability for Shipbuilding - Maritime Research and innovation UK (marri-uk.org)

Army: Procurement

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 68 of the Land Industrial Strategy, published by his Department on 18 May 2022, with which industry partners he has shared the comprehensive investment plan; and on what dates.

James Cartlidge: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 12 December 2023, to Question 5784. Army: Procurement (docx, 25.5KB)

LE TacCIS Programme: Staff

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many senior responsible owners have worked on the LETacCIS programme since its inception.

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many programme managers have worked on the LETacCIS programme since its inception.

James Cartlidge: Since the LETacCIS programmes' inception in 2011, there have been six Senior Responsible Owners, five Programme Directors, and five Programme Managers.

Defence Equipment: Procurement

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department has taken to manage the impact of inflation on the Equipment Plan.

James Cartlidge: The Department is actively mitigating the impact of inflation on the Equipment Plan through: (1) Firm pricing a proportion of existing contracts with industry so that inflationary risk sits with the supplier. (2) Forward purchasing utilities up to three years in advance to provide price stability. (3) Utilising a forward purchase scheme for Euros and Dollars. The Department has also implemented changes to commercial policy such as making greater use of index-linked fixed price contracts to prevent firms from either applying high premia on firm price bids or not bidding entirely. The MOD is also engaging with its main suppliers to discuss how inflation will be treated in future contracts, which includes the Department’s view of what is reasonable for payroll costs.

Ministry of Defence: Off-payroll Working

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people in his Department have been employed under an off-payroll engagement for (a) 5-10 years and (b) longer than 10 years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The Department collects information centrally on the numbers of off payroll engagements in line with the mandatory disclosure requirements for reporting in Annual Report and Accounts. For off-payroll engagements between five years and 10 years in length, the Department recorded that there were: 39 in 2022-23; 26 in 2021-22; four in 2020-2021; and two in 2019-20. For off-payroll engagements over 10 years in length, the Department recorded that there were: three in 2022-23; 3 in 2021-22; zero in 2020-21; and one in 2019-20.

Ministry of Defence: Civil Servants

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants in his Department were in the redeployment pool in each year since 2019.

Dr Andrew Murrison: It is taking time to collate the required information to answer the right hon. Members Question. I will write to her when the information is available, and a copy of this letter will be placed in the Library of The House.

Ministry of Defence Police: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many Ministry of Defence Police officers were employed by his Department in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The strength number for the Ministry of Defence Police on 31 March each year since 2019 is:Year2019202020212022MDP ¹2,5152,6432,7682,701¹ Ministry of Defence Police officers

Ministry of Defence Police: Staff

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of how many Ministry of Defence Police Officers will be employed by his Department in (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The current strength number for the Ministry of Defence Police is 2,473 full time equivalents (FTE) as of 19 December 2023. Estimated numbers for 2024-25 and 2025-26 are dependant on the outcomes of the Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) and other ongoing reviews within Defence.

Ministry of Defence: Allowances

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the categories are of expenses which can be claimed by staff in his Department.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Business travel expenses are categorised into travel, accommodation and subsistence.

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on administration in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: Details of administration spend are disclosed within Annex C of the published Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC) each financial year.

Ministry of Defence: Marketing

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much his Department spent on (a) marketing and (b) advertising in each financial year since 2019-20.

Dr Andrew Murrison: A full Departmental response could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The amount spent by the Department on advertising that is readily available can be provided for financial years 2019-20 which was £37,142,211; 2020-21 was £34,178,742; 2021-22 was £30,876,441; 2022-23 was £40,562,477; and for 2023-24 was £19,462,174 to date. The figures in this answer have been provided by the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, and the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP). The majority of expenditure is accounted for by advertising by the three branches of the Armed Forces and the MDP to aid recruitment. Marketing and additional advertising expenditure outside of this remit is not held centrally.

Ministry of Defence: Civil Servants

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many civil servants he plans to employ in his Department in each of the next three financial years.

Dr Andrew Murrison: The latest Ministry of Defence (MOD) civilian staff indicative planned full-time equivalent figures (FTE), rounded to the nearest ten, are in the table below. These represent our current forecasts, but we recognise that the Chancellor has committed to reducing headcount across the Civil Service so we are working with HM Treasury to determine the implications for the MOD. As such, it should be noted that these are indicative numbers are used for planning purposes only; they are not a target and represent business decisions subject to ongoing variation. It should also be noted these figures represent only one part of MOD's workforce and actual figures may be impacted by changes to the size and shape of other workforce types such as contractors, military staff etc. Financial Year2024-252025-262026-27Projected civilian staff (FTE)60,60061,53061,540

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Guyana: Politics and Government

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether he has had recent discussions with his counterpart in (a) French Guiana and (b) Suriname on the situation in Guyana.

David Rutley: The UK is concerned by the recent steps taken by Venezuela, with respect to the Essequibo region of Guyana. The UK supports Guyana's territorial integrity. We believe the unilateral actions of Venezuela are unjustified and should cease. We are clear that the border was settled in 1899 through international arbitration.We will continue to work with allies and partners in the region to ensure that the territorial integrity of Guyana is respected. I [Minister Rutley] have not discussed the situation with counterparts in Suriname or in France's overseas department of French Guiana. Our officials in Paris have been in contact with French counterparts.As part of this extensive diplomatic engagement, I visited Guyana on 18 December to show UK support for its territorial integrity.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Antarctica

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, for what reason the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Americas, Caribbean and the Overseas Territories) visited Antarctica.

David Rutley: I [Minister Rutley] have not visited Antarctica yet but will travel to the region at the end of December 2023. During the visit, I will see first-hand the impact of climate change on this unique environment. I will also have the opportunity to observe the world-class scientific work of the British Antarctic Survey. As the Minister with responsibility for the Polar Regions, the visit will also provide an opportunity to support and thank those who work in Antarctica for extended periods. This will be the first visit to Antarctica by an FCO/FCDO Minister since 2001.

Russia: Sanctions

Drew Hendry: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure the prosecution of individuals working for service companies which support evasion of sanctions by Russia.

Leo Docherty: The UK is committed to ensuring that our sanctions are robustly enforced, potential breaches are investigated and appropriate action is taken.Departments from across His Majesty's Government are working together and with UK companies to ensure that sanctions are enforced, including through criminal prosecution and civil enforcement. Departments and Agencies with responsibility for criminal enforcement of sanctions refer appropriate cases to the Crown Prosecution Service for considerationThe launch of the Office of Trade Sanctions Implementation (OTSI) under DBT will enhance guidance and engagement with industry, as well as civil enforcement of trade sanctions, including those on services. The Government also announced a new Economic Deterrence Initiative in the 2023 Integrated Review Refresh. With funding of up to £50 million over two years, the initiative is maximising the impact of our trade, transport and financial sanctions, and improving implementation and enforcement including by cracking down on evasion. Through these funds HMG is recruiting more civil and criminal investigators to bear down on people and businesses in breach of sanctions.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Power Failures

Sarah Olney: To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.

David Rutley: During the last three years, the FCDO has had no unplanned power cuts at its London sites, or at Abercrombie House; and three power cuts at our Hanslope Park site. The FCDO has resilient back up power at each site, designed to alleviate any external supply failure, and subject to regular and rigorous maintenance and testing.

Department for Education

Overseas Students

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many international students were enrolled in UK universities in the 2022-23 academic year.

Robert Halfon: Statistics on enrolments and qualifications obtained at UK higher education providers are collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Latest statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year, and information specifically referring to students’ location of domicile prior to study is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/students/where-from.Statistics for 2022/23 will be published in 2024.

Universities: Visits

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of universities the (a) Chairman and (b) Chief Executive of the Office for Students has visited since (i) 1 January 2018, (ii) 3 March 2023 and (iii) 5 September 2023.

Robert Halfon: The department does not hold this information as visits to universities by the Chair and Chief Executive of the Office for Students are a matter for that organisation as an independent arms-length body.

Department for Education: Power Failures

Sarah Olney: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether there have been any power cuts on their Department's property in each of the last three years.

Damian Hinds: The department’s estate is managed on its behalf by the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA records indicate that Cheylesmore House, Coventry experienced a power cut in 2022 and Sanctuary Buildings, London experienced power cuts in 2022 and 2023. In both cases, this resulted from a local power outage. There were no other recorded outages on other department estate properties.

Department for Transport

Blue Badge Scheme

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has had recent discussions with local authorities on the transfer of Blue Badge (a) status and (b) applications between council areas.

Guy Opperman: The Department for Transport Blue Badge team communicates on an ongoing basis with local authority administrators of the Blue Badge scheme about a wide range of issues. People need to apply for a badge to the local authority in which they reside. Holders of Blue Badges who move should notify the issuing authority of their change of address so the details can be transferred.

Electric Vehicles: Charging Points

Charlotte Nichols: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress his Department has made on installing six high powered, open access charge-points at each motorway service station by the end of 2023.

Anthony Browne: Around 96 per cent of motorway service areas (MSAs) now have charging available. When the aim was announced, there were only 4 ultra-rapid (150kw+) chargepoints across MSAs in England. There are now more than 260 ultra-rapid chargepoints, and more than 480 open-access (can be used with any electric vehicle) rapid (50kW) and ultra-rapid chargepoints at MSAs in total. The Department will collect data from motorway service operators early in the New Year on how many chargepoints had been installed by MSAs by the end of 2023.

Home Office

Fire and Rescue Services: Finance

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether his Department plans to increase funding for the fire and rescue service.

Chris Philp: On 18 December 2023, the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) published the Provisional Local Government Financial Settlement 2024/25. The settlement sets out that standalone Fire and Rescue Authorities in England will see an increase in core spending power of £79.1m (4.7%) when compared to 2023/24. This Settlement will be followed by the usual period of consultation, to which I would encourage the sector to respond.Funding for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is a matter for the Scottish Government.

Vetting

Sir Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the backlog is for enhanced DBS checks by police area.

Chris Philp: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) operates to service standards of completing 80% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days. These service standards can be seen in quarterly performance reporting which the DBS publishes at: DBS dataset 1: DBS checks, the DBS Update Service, and disputes - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).The latest published statistics are for September 2023 which show that the DBS is completing 78.1% of Enhanced check applications within 14 days. The DBS does not publish data by police area.An Enhanced check requires the DBS to send applications to the police for local data searches and local intelligence checks. Currently some police forces’ turnaround times have been affected by increased volumes of disclosure applications against original forecasts.Police forces are recruiting more staff to service the additional demand for Enhanced DBS checks The DBS is working collaboratively with policing partners to enhance the quality of an enhanced criminal record check referral to improve turnaround times and continues to modernise its services through the replacement of legacy systems and further digitisation of disclosure products.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will make an estimate of the cost to policing of alcohol abuse.

Chris Philp: The Government is committed to reducing alcohol-related crime.A 2012 calculation estimated that alcohol related harm costs society £21bn a year. However, we have not calculated an estimate of the cost to policing of alcohol abuse.

Gender Based Violence: Mid Bedfordshire

Alistair Strathern: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle street crime against women and girls in Mid Bedfordshire constituency.

Chris Philp: This government is committed to tackling street crime and violence against women and girls. We have made significant progress and delivered a number of key commitments to help ensure women and girls are safe everywhere - at home, online, at work and in public spaces.This includes interventions delivered through the Safer Streets Fund, established in 2020. Through four rounds of the Fund, we have invested £120m in 270 projects, and an additional £5m in 22 projects through the Safety of Women at Night Fund.Bedfordshire has received £2.8million of investment through all four rounds of the Safer Streets Fund. On 6 July we announced the launch of the fifth round of the Safer Streets Fund, with millions of additional funding for Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) over the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years Funding is aimed at preventing crime, increase feelings of safety through measures such as improved street lighting and CCTV and educational campaigns to change behaviours and attitudes.

Antisemitism: Hate Crime

Nicola Richards: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the polling by the Campaign Against Antisemitism, published on 27 November 2023, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the finding that 16% of British Jews think that the police treat anti-Semitic hate crime like other formsofhatecrime.

Laura Farris: We have a robust legislative framework to respond to hate crimes which target race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, and transgender identity.Whilst the police are operationally independent and work in line with the College of Policing’s operational guidance to respond to hate crime, we expect the police to fully investigate these abhorrent offences and work with the CPS to ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. We are supporting the police by providing them with the resources they need, including having recruited 20,000 additional police officers by March 2023.The Government regularly engages with Jewish community stakeholders to ensure that we are doing everything we can to tackle antisemitism in the UK and protect the safety and security of the Jewish community. The Government’s Jewish Community Protective Security (JCPS) Grant provides protective security measures at Jewish community sites including education facilities and many synagogues. In response to increased incidents of antisemitism in the UK as a result of the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, the Prime Minister announced additional funding of £3 million to provide additional security at Jewish schools, synagogues and other Jewish community sites. This brings total protective security funding for the Jewish Community to £18 million in 2023/24. This level will be maintained at £18 million for 2024/25.The Government is also providing £7 million over the next three years to ensure that more support is in place for schools and universities to understand, recognise and tackle antisemitism.Since 7 October, forces across the country have increased neighbourhood patrols to provide reassurance to local communities. Police have also conducted thousands of visits to Jewish sites, including synagogues and faith schools. Forces have made a number of arrests linked to antisemitic and other forms of hate crime in the UK – including the Metropolitan Police Service which has made 134 arrests linked to hate crimes as of 1 December. The MPS also have a specific Hanukkah policing plan to provide assurance to the Jewish community.

Asylum: Military Bases

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if he will publish a list of the military sites being used to house (a) Afghan and (b) other refugees and asylum seekers; and what the cost to the public purse is of using these sites for that purpose.

Michael Tomlinson: Home Office does not hold the information requested as the costs are held by the Ministry of Defence.

Asylum: Deportation

Sir John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many and what proportion of people with rejected asylum applications were removed in each year since 2019.

Michael Tomlinson: The Home Office publishes data on asylum and returns in the ‘Immigration System Statistics quarterly release’. Data on initial decisions on asylum applications including refusals by date of refusal are published in table Asy_D02 of the ‘Asylum and resettlement detailed datasets’. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook.Data on asylum-related returns by date of removal are published in table Ret_05 of the ‘Returns summary tables’. The ‘contents’ sheet contains an overview of all available data on returns.The latest data relate to the end of September 2023.

Ministry of Justice

Feltham Young Offender Institution: Domestic Visits

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when a (a) Minister from his Department and (b) member of the Ministry of Justice Board last visited Feltham Young Offender Institution.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when a (a) Minister from his Department and (b) member of the Ministry of Justice Board last visited Parc Young Offender Institution

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when a (a) Minister from his Department and (b) member of the Ministry of Justice Board last visited Wetherby Young Offender Institution.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, when a (a) Minister from his Department and (b) member of the Ministry of Justice Board last visited Cookham Wood Young Offender Institution.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, on how many occasions (a) he and (b) a Minister in his Department has met a representative of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales in the past 12 months.

Edward Argar: Ministers and senior officials continue to work and engage closely with leaders across the youth secure estate, in a variety of forums and ways, including but not limited to on-site visits.The Minister with responsibility for prisons and probation met with members of the Youth Justice Board on seven occasions during the past 12 months.

Young Offender Institutions: Neurodiversity

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of the children and young people who were separated for more than seven days in that period who had been identified as neurodivergent.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, what data his Department holds on the number and proportion of the children and young people who were separated for more than seven days in that period who had been identified as having speech and language difficulties.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, how many and what proportion of children and young people who were separated for more than seven days were from an ethnic minority background.

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5310 on Young Offender Institutions: Isolation, whether he is taking steps to reduce the number of children and young people who are separated for more than seven days.

Edward Argar: The information requested relating to children and young people separated for more than seven days who have speech and language difficulties, or are identified as neurodivergent, is not collected centrally and could not be obtained without incurring disproportionate cost.In the period 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023, 294 separations of more than seven days involved children and young people from ethnic minority backgrounds (excluding children and young people from white minority backgrounds). This equates to 67 percent of the total number of separations of more than seven days (excluding those whose ethnicity is not known).The Youth Custody Service recognises the potential negative impact of children not being able to mix and interact with their peers, which is why children are only separated as a last resort – to manage the risk to or from other children, and after alternative interventions have been exhausted. Dynamic assessment of risk factors also determines the duration of the separation period. Any separation must be regularly reviewed and may only be in place for as long as is necessary to manage the risk to the child or others. As part of its efforts to ensure that separation is managed as effectively as possible, the Youth Custody Service is reviewing its  guidance on ‘Minimising and Managing Use of Separation and Isolation in the Youth Estate Framework’, which was published in April 2022.

Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, how many substantiated findings of abuse have there been at Werrington Young Offender Institution in the last 12 months.

Edward Argar: In the 12 months from November 2022 to October 2023, there were two substantiated cases of physical abuse against children while at HMYOI Werrington. One case related to misapplication of restraint techniques during a restraint incident. There was no intention to cause harm. The member of staff concerned has received further training on use of restraint. The second case related to mishandling of an incident at height: the child did not incur any serious injuries.The Youth Custody Service (YCS) takes any allegation of abuse extremely seriously. When a safeguarding case is opened, the details of the matter may not be known. The YCS conducts a thorough investigation of every case to identify exactly what has occurred, and to ensure that any necessary actions are taken to protect the children in its care.

Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5302 on Werrington Young Offender Institution: Abuse, what support the Youth Custody Service has provided to to Werrington Youth Offender Institute to help reduce the number of safeguarding referrals made by that institute.

Edward Argar: The Youth Custody Service Safeguarding Team have completed several support visits to HMYOI Werrington in recent months to help them improve their safeguarding practices and ensure new processes are being embedded effectively. This also includes a recent visit from the Head of Operations in the week commencing 11 December 2023. The Safeguarding Team also ensured that HMYOI Werrington have an effective triage system for all child protection referrals that arise at the site, ensuring that the site’s safeguarding team review all referrals in a timely manner and if required, refer immediately to a child’s Local Authority Designated Officer.

Youth Custody

Janet Daby: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5311 on Youth Custody, what steps he is taking to reduce the proportion of children in the secure estate who are on remand.

Edward Argar: Published statistics show an average monthly population of around 210 children remanded in youth custody at any one time in the year ending March 2022. This is 8% lower than the previous year and 57% lower than the year ending March 2012. In 2022, the Government further tightened the tests the courts must satisfy to remand a child to custody, and published a review of the use of youth custodial remand. As part of the review’s recommendations, we undertook a consultation about how to reform the funding arrangements for youth remand between August 2023 and November 2023. The Government commissioned an HMI Probation, HMI Prisons and Ofsted independent joint thematic inspection of work with children on remand which was published in November 2023. We are working with youth justice partners to respond to the 22 recommendations within the thematic report to reduce the number of children on remand. An action plan responding to these recommendations will be published alongside the consultation response in early 2024.

Alcoholic Drinks: Misuse

Rachael Maskell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the criminal justice system of alcohol use.

Edward Argar: The Ministry of Justice do not currently hold data on these costings. However, the Government is committed to tackling alcohol misuse, including within the Criminal Justice System. There are a range of sentencing options to support those who have committed alcohol-related crime to overcome their misuse and reduce reoffending. Alcohol Treatment Requirements (ATRs) as part of a community sentence require the offender to attend treatment and supervision. The total number of ATRs commenced rose from 5,100 in 2021, to 5,800 in 2022, an increase of 14.2% (700). Alcohol tags can be used to monitor compliance with an alcohol ban imposed as a requirement of a community sentence or restrictions imposed on licence. Since introducing alcohol tags in October 2020, 17,332 new alcohol monitoring orders have been imposed.

Prisons: Drugs

Ruth Cadbury: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what data his Department (a) collects and (b) publishes on levels of drug use by prisoners in the prison estate.

Edward Argar: Data is collected on mandatory drug testing, including Random Mandatory Drug Testing (rMDT), targeted testing, and voluntary drug testing of prisoners. rMDT data is published in the HMPPS Annual Digest.All random mandatory drug testing (rMDT) was paused in March 2020 following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Low levels of testing resumed from September 2020 in line with establishments’ position within the National Framework for managing COVID-19 before formal performance expectations around rMDT volumes were re-instated in April 2022.

Probate

Richard Fuller: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of HM Courts and Tribunals Service's (a) performance on probate issues and (b) speed at processing probate applications.

Mike Freer: The probate service received record levels of applications during 2022 and this has continued to grow with higher levels of receipts during January to June 2023 compared to the same period in 2022.HMCTS has streamlined internal processes to cut down on administrative delay and reduce processing times. We are continuing to invest in improving digital systems and online filing capabilities so users can track progress more easily.HMCTS has increased staffing levels in Probate over the past year to help process applications faster. The training and upskilling of those new and existing staff have led to applications taking longer in the short term.HMCTS are focused on increasing outputs to reduce overall timeliness on all types of applications and the average mean length of time taken for a grant of probate, following receipt of the documents required, is 13 weeks during April to June 2023.Average waiting times for probate grants are routinely published on gov.uk via Family Court Statistics Quarterly and currently cover the period up to June 2023.

Aiding and Abetting: Convictions

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, if he will make an estimate of the number of people who have been convicted of an offence under joint enterprise where the jury were not directed as to any significant contribution to that offence since 2016.

Laura Farris: The Ministry of Justice only collects information on how many defendants are prosecuted and convicted for each offence in any given year. Currently, information is not collated on whether that prosecution or conviction relied on the law of joint enterprise. Such information may be held on court records but could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Levelling Up Fund: Easington

Grahame Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2023 to Question 6182 on Levelling Up Fund: County Durham, if he will make an assessment of the (a) effectiveness of and (b) impact of levelling up funding on Easington constituency.

Jacob Young: The UK Government is investing £13.9 billion in Levelling Up projects to improve everyday life for people across the UK. Through interventions such as the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and the Community Renewal Fund, amongst others, the Government is supporting local communities to transform the places where they live.

Regional Planning and Development: Finance

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of 20 November 2023, Official Report, column 28, when the area teams informed local authorities that their levelling-up bids would be successful ahead of Government announcements.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, for what reason Levelling Up Fund Round Three was not opened on a competitive basis; and when his Department (a) informed local authorities of its approach to, (b) selected the projects to be awarded funding under and (c) announced which projects would be awarded funding under Round Three.

Justin Madders: To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, if he will make an estimate of the total cost to local authorities of preparing bids for levelling up funded projects.

Jacob Young: I refer the Hon Member to the answer to Question UIN 4194 on 5 December 2023.To support the development of bids, £125,000 was provided to each local authority in England who were assessed as most in need in Rounds 1 and 2, and all local authorities in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Department of Health and Social Care

Dementia: Research

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to her Department's press release entitled Prime Minister launches Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, published 14 August 2022, what progress her Department has made on its commitment to reach dementia research funding of £160 million a year by 2024; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Autumn Statement on that commitment.

Helen Whately: The Government is committed to supporting research into dementia and has committed to double funding for dementia research. We will double funding for dementia research to £160 million per year by 2024/25. The Government spent over £413 million on dementia research from 2017/18 to 2021/22.In August 2022, the former Prime Minister launched the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, along with £95 million of Government funding. The Mission is part of the commitment to double dementia research funding and aims to speed up the development of new treatments. In the Autumn Statement the Chancellor announced up to £20 million funding to launch a Clinical Trial Delivery Accelerator, focused on dementia. This investment also contributes to meeting the commitment to double dementia research funding and will scope out innovative new tools and approaches to clinical research in the National Health Service. It will leverage the United Kingdom’s world-class strengths in data, digital sciences and genomics capabilities to increase the speed and quality of clinical trials, while driving down the cost of large-scale trials.The National Institute for Health and Care Research launched a number of new initiatives to support dementia research, such as investing nearly £11 million to develop new digital approaches for the early detection and diagnosis of dementia.

Health Services: Weather

Mr Tobias Ellwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps her Department has taken to prepare for winter 2023-24 in (a) Bournemouth East constituency and (b) the South West.

Helen Whately: National Health Service winter planning started earlier this year than in previous years. The urgent and emergency care recovery plan was published in January 2023 which included £1 billion of dedicated funding to support increased capacity. NHS England and the Department have overseen implementation of the urgent and emergency care recovery plan across the country since its publication, including in the South West.In July 2023, NHS England wrote to integrated care boards, trusts and primary care networks to set out a national approach to 2023/24 winter planning and the key steps to be taken across all parts of the system to meet the challenges expected from winter pressures.The South West is also receiving £2,988,128 from the £40 million local authority Urgent and Emergency Care support fund. This fund is in addition to the £600 million Adult Social Care Discharge fund which was allocated in April – and is specifically targeted to support areas with greater challenges in urgent and emergency care, to help local authorities further boost social care provision to support admissions avoidance and hospital discharge this winter.

Care Workers: Vacancies

Geraint Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of pay for care sector roles on the number of vacancies within that sector.

Helen Whately: We have made no recent assessment.Vacancy rates are likely not the best measure of capacity, or lack of capacity, in the sector. Independent providers make the decision on whether to advertise vacancies based on their aspirations to grow their businesses and the expected churn of workers within the sector.

Health Services: Weather

Tahir Ali: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate her Department has made of the number of extra beds available at hospitals in winter 2023-24.

Helen Whately: Our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services set the ambition in to increase the core general and acute (G&A) bed base by 5,000 permanent beds above originally planned 2022/23 levels. The latest published core G&A beds figures show over 3,700 additional core beds are now in place. The peak of total G&A bed numbers, encompassing both core and escalation beds, will depend on demand pressures, including from respiratory illnesses such as flu.

NHS: Drugs

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of the Public Services Committee report entitled Homecare Medicines Services: an opportunity lost, published on 16 November 2023.

Sir George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Public Services Committee report entitled Homecare Medicines Services: an opportunity lost, published on 16 November 2023, whether her Department will review the regulatory regime for homecare medicines services.

Andrew Stephenson: NHS England has been carrying out a desktop exercise to review homecare medicines services. The next steps are to bring together data from the desktop exercise with the House of Lords inquiry report recommendations to shape a programme of work on homecare medicines. The Department is carefully considering all the conclusions and recommendations made in the report and will respond in due course.The Department is required to publish a response to the report by 16 January 2024.

NHS: Expenditure

Wes Streeting: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Answer of 30 March 2023 to Question 159027 on NHS: Expenditure, how much NHS England, clinical commissioning groups and integrated care boards spent in aggregate on (a) mental health services, (b) acute health services, (c) social care services, (d) primary medical care, (e) other primary care services, (f) continuing healthcare, (g) specialised services, and (h) other main categories of spending in each financial year since 2015-16; and how much NHS England and integrated care boards plan to spend in aggregate in each of those areas in 2023-24.

Andrew Stephenson: The information requested is in attached table due to it’s size.The £38 billion increase in Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) / Integrated Care Board (ICB) direct commissioning spend between 2019-20 and 2023-24 budget reflects the record settlement for health and social care funding confirmed at the 2021 Spending Review.As 2022-23 accounts are not yet published, the figures for 2022-23 are the budget for that year. We will be able to provide 2022-23 final outturn once NHS England Annual Accounts are finalised.Attachment (docx, 22.8KB)

NHS Learning Support Fund: Pharmacy

Kim Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason students studying Masters of Pharmacy courses do not qualify for support from the NHS Learning Support Fund.

Andrew Stephenson: The Learning Support Fund (LSF) is available broadly to those courses which were eligible for the NHS Bursary prior to the 2017 reforms, and therefore, subjects such as pharmacy are outside of the scope of the LSF arrangements.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling: Reform

Stephanie Peacock: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to her Department's White Paper entitled High stakes: gambling reform for the digital age, published on 27 April 2023 and her article in the Racing Post, published on 2 November 2023, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the proposed financial risk checks are frictionless for consumers.

Stuart Andrew: His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. The Gambling White Paper, published in April this year, outlines a balanced and proportionate package of measures in response - one of which is a new regime of frictionless financial risk checks.As stated in our recent response to the e-petition concerning the implementation of financial risk checks, we are clear that the checks should not overregulate the gambling sector, should not unduly disrupt the millions of people who gamble without suffering harm, and should not cause unnecessary damage to sectors which rely on betting, in particular horse racing. These will be implemented to protect those at the greatest risk of gambling harm and to stop potentially devastating and life-changing financial losses. These checks will be based on data sharing, and we will not roll them out until we are certain they are frictionless.We have held a number of roundtables with representatives of industry, horse racing, and the Gambling Commission to discuss how we can work together to ensure that these checks will be frictionless. We have also stressed that the status quo, a host of industry-run checks, are often inconsistent, ad hoc and can be unnecessarily onerous, with customers having to manually provide reams of personal data to navigate a maze of different tick-boxes. We have urged the Gambling Commission and industry to work together to mitigate the impact of these checks while we develop a new, frictionless system.We and the Gambling Commission have also been working closely with the Information Commissioner’s Office, credit reference agencies, and UK Finance to ensure new frictionless checks can be implemented in an effective but proportionate way. We are also exploring the role of pilots or phased implementation to ensure the checks are effective and work as intended.

Treasury

Electronic Cigarettes: Imports

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will introduce a track and trace system for imported vaping products.

Gareth Davies: Track and Trace requirements for cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco have been in place, in the UK, since 20 May 2019. These requirements are due to be extended to other tobacco products, such as cigars, cigarillos and pipe tobacco from 20 May 2024. This does not include vaping products.